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Statement of Administration Policy: S. 2633 - To Provide for the Safe Redeployment of United States Troops from Iraq

February 26, 2008

STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY

(Senate)

(Sen. Feingold (D) WI and two others)

The Administration strongly opposes Senate passage of S. 2633. Success in Iraq is critical to our national security and to victory in the War on Terror. S. 2633 would forfeit the successes of the President's new strategy in Iraq and infringe upon the constitutional authority of the President as Commander in Chief by purporting to order the withdrawal of U.S. troops from a theater of combat and by purporting to dictate the tactical mission of U.S. troops in an ongoing, authorized armed conflict. S. 2633 would impose an artificial timeline to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq that ignores the recommendations of our commanders in combat. Decisions about military strategy, including appropriate troop levels, should be based on the recommendations of our commanders in combat. This legislation would substitute the political judgment of legislators for the considered professional military judgment of our military commanders. As the President recently stated, an "artificial timetable of withdrawal would say to an enemy, just wait them out; it would say to the Iraqis, don't do hard things necessary to achieve our objectives; and it would be discouraging for our troops. And therefore I will strongly reject an artificial timetable withdrawal and/or Washington politicians trying to tell those who wear the uniform how to do their job." The President will not sign legislation that embraces defeat and undermines America's national security. If S. 2633 were presented to the President, he would veto the bill.

George W. Bush, Statement of Administration Policy: S. 2633 - To Provide for the Safe Redeployment of United States Troops from Iraq Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/276914

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